how better to commemorate the work of stone brewing than with a bigass DIPA

darkish reddish amber with a long-lasting, bone-colored head. i'm not so sure i dig the color, though its clarity is nice and the head is very tight

the aromas are of...malt? well, not totally, but compared to some of their other hop bombs malt seems to be clawing for attention. who am i kidding...bigtime hops: simcoe, piney, fruit, tea. this beer has a big bitterness with an intense resiny thing going on. the alcohol shows up a little in the finish, but many 10% brews suffer from this

this is one of those beers that while drinking i say, "damn, this is a badass beer," but then while reviewing i think, "well...it's not so drinkable, cause i'd be lit after three, and maybe 'badass' isn't what we're looking for in a beer." then again, this is the DIPA category, which is (by definition) as balanced as klaus kinski

So i'll start this out saying, I am not the biggest IPA fan. But man, after this beer, i'll start seeking out some of the better ones. Poured a amber/copper color into my pint glass with a nice frothy 1 inch head that went down to a thin layer on top. Smell was of nice resiny piney hops which is what I like in IPA's. Taste is simply amazing, citrusy, piney, hoppy with some nice bitterness settling into a nice rich malty background finish. I love it, I am not huge on the bitter IPA finish, but this finished sweet and tasty. Mouthfeel was rich, sticky sweet and bitter, pretty nice. Drinkability I will say is high, this is a great beer, refreshingly sweet and bitter, I love the citrusy hops this has, and man that 10% abv isnt tasteable in the beer, but boy does it creep up on ya. A truely amazing beer and quite possibly the best IPA this BA has ever had.

Pours clear copper with reddish hues, beige, tight head of a half inch height.
The foam dissapates quickly to reveal a skim coat on the surface of small to medium orbs of carbonation.
Nose is pungent and floral.
Very tropical in nature with mossy pine notes in the back.
Pears, peaches, nectarines, pineapple, and spruce sap.
Malt is subdued and aromatics finish with warming alcohols and more fruit.
Body is on the thick side of medium- sticky, sappy, and slightly chewy.
Pallet is massively bitter and alcoholic.
Pineyness is in the forefront now, with the fruit backing it up.
Neither the pine nor fruit are a match for the alcohol sting that is ...10%? Drinks bigger.
Malt is light enough to put the 10th anniversary spot on in the IIPA category, and pulls off some crispness despite the massive grain bill.

A huge, unapolagetic, hop and alcohol attack to the senses.
Big karma goes out a fellow BFD'er in San Marcos.

It had an off white head on an orange/copper body and was slightly hazy. The nose is citrus and piney hops, more piney than citrus with a bit of biscuity malt sneaking around.

The taste was more of the same, piney, and citric fruit with a real substantial malt background. The malt was more prominent than most DIPA's and that is a good thing; it really gave a great balance to the hops. There is a little bit of alcohol at the end of the taste.

The big malt background made this beer very drinkable. The malts really balanced out the bitterness of the hops.

The big malt background made this beer very drinkable. The malts really balanced out the bitterness of the hops.

A - Deep burnt orange in color with a very cloudy body. Head is off-white that stick around for a little bit, but fades a little quicker than I would like. That said, it's my only knock. The lacing is spectacular.

S - Awesome. This must be summit hops. Bright and lively tangerine on the nose with piney undercurrents. The body of this beer would lead me to believe that I would smell some roasted malts, but they are having a hard time breaking through the hops.

T - Huge initial pine cone blast followed by the citris on the nose. A malt sweetness peaks in for awhile before quickly going away .. beaten into submission by the oily hops. Finishes a bit "hot" and slightly on the boozy side.

M - Medium bodied and oily. Goes down smooth.

D - Pretty good, but the abv is very apparent. Warms a bit as it goes down, leading me to the conclusion that more than one of these in a sitting might make for a short evening.

FINALLY got ahold of one, after lots of hunting and 2 long distance trips in vein.

Small head, fast carbonation, nice and pale.

Smells like fresh hops being broken up in your hand, plus sweet malts. Not very strong smelling.

Whoah! Strong like whiskey, but with tons of bitterness (even for IPA standards), maybe over 100 units. Nothing but pure bitterness, along with the tiniest bit of sweet. Finishes hot. This is "extreme" beer, bold and straight to the point.

Mouthfeel is a tad bit thick, which I feel is keeping down the carbonation.

Poured into a goblet from a 22 oz bomber. This the beer is a deep golden color with a moderate white foamy head. The aroma is floral hops. The taste is a little bit of heat from the alcohol and tongue numbing bitterness from the hops. Once you start this one you need to not need your taste buds for the rest of the day. The body is a bit on the heavy side, but it still goes down smooth. The overpowering hops (bitterness) on this brew might not be what some are use to, but if you are than drink to your hearts content.

Awesome job on the label design, on par with everything one would expect from Stone. Not that it makes the beer taste better, but soem eye candy is always appreciated.

Appearence: A light amber in color, nice white head that seemed to stick around a little while.

Smell: Grapefruit like, smells exactly like the last homebrew we did with all Simcoe.

Taste: Great hop taste, the grapefruit carries through with some pine. The malts are present, which was nice to bring a bit of balance to this huge brew. Great hop flavor.

Mouthfeel: Full in body, not neccessarily chewy but no mistaking its high gravity.

Drinkability: I don't think anyone expects a 10% beer to be sessional but I thought it went down with ease. A bomber of this will make the night perfect.

Overall, this has been an excellent beer, it lived up to everything I had hoped it would be. I don't believe I have ever given a 5, and I thought I would never but Stone really was on the money with this one. If only I could find more.

A: Deep amber. Darker than I would usually think for an American Double IPA. A wonderful cross between honey and molasses.

S: APRICOTS and PEACHES and lots of them. There is as much fruit here as there is pine and citrus in Dreadnaught. The smell is fantastic and really hits the nose strong

T: Nice big double IPA flavor. The fruit in the hops makes way for some sweetness from the malt. Finishes with a mild alcoholic burn, but you would be hard pressed to think it's 10% abv -- it's just THAT balanced

M: Smooth as silk. Nice oily coating that stays on the roof of the mouth and the tongue

D: Absolutely amazing IMO. I would put this right up there with Dreadnaught, although maybe just SLIGHTLY not as good. Hard to say. Delicious!

Nice bronze color. An off white head foams up with a heavy pour but it dissapears quickly as expected with the 10% abv. The film that's left behind does manage to leave some trace lacing. Not much carbonation to give this one any life in the bottle. Smell of piney resinous hops and sweet rum like alcohol notes. Taste is all hops. Very piney with a chewy finish. You know the alcohol is there as it warms on the way down. The hop burps start about 1/3 of the way down this one. About what I would expect from Stone. Nice brew and glad I tried it. Congrats on 10 years Stone and keep up the good work.

Taste is sweet and citrusy, with a nice strong bitterness and alcohol bite. Hops are very dominant, but somehow not too overwhleming. Makes me want to take another sip and I haven't even swallowed this one yet. Chewy hop resins and maltiness with a medium-full body.

Finish is long and bitter with a bit of a lingering alcohol warmth.

This is very drinkable for being as hoppy as it is. Stone has once again brewed a beer that sets new standards. Glad I have a couple more bottles of this, I already crave another.

Found this at Capone's on Germantown Pike. - I had to give them their props as they are striving for a stellar selection and doing a fine job.

It poured a clear honey/amber into my "imperial" pint glass. It had a nice linen colored head, but it disolved into some sticky lacing rather quickly.

The initial smell is awesome. Grapefuit, honey, and pine sap are the most evident smells, but there is a faint metallic smell on the very backend of it. The hop aromas are complimented by some biscuity malts.

Dear LORD this is a hoppy beer! I've had most of the heavy hitters in this style and this one takes the cake! The "balance" is left in the aroma, because there isn't much in the taste. It tastes like a Stone IPA with a mouthfull of grass clippings.

As for drinkability, this one is waaay to excessively hopped to be a drinker. One of these and I'm done. Actually, I would have rathered a 12ozer. I feel like I just washed my stomach with a strong detergent.

Mouthfeel: I'm left smacking my lips like a dog eating peanut butter.

I'm glad I tried it, but I'll stick to Ol' Horace or Double Simcoe for this style. They seem just a bit more balanced and enjoyable.

Found this at The Keg in Clarksville, Indiana, last week. Haven't seen it in Evansville, yet. Beautiful bottle. The Stone Gargoyle has never looked better. Pouring into a large pint glass the body is a radiant orange amber. Excellent clarity, with a two finger ecru head that stays around for several minutes. Lacing is lavish and quite attractive.

Aroma is initially very hoppy, with lots of citrus. Pink grapefruit, orange, and lime zest are complimented by a solid spruce pine note. Bready malt is also noted, and reminds me of DFH 120 Minute. A hint of red apple is sensed in the background, seemingly from the malt.

Mouthfeel is a full medium. Carbonation is ideal for melding the big malts and hops here.

Lovely taste boasts big and juicy citrusy hops. Orange, tangerine, and pink grapefruit add an ideal bittersweet character. Malt character is very intriguing. Reminds me of the rounded breadiness of some of the DFH 90 or 120 Minute IPAs. Works better here. More complex than Stone Ruination or IPA. Uniquely Stone, this is a really fine DIPA. Happy Birthday Stone!

Oh, my. The aroma on this thing is exceptional -- a juicy burst of hops surrounded by maple/grapefruit sweetness. The color of the beer is a light, watery copper, and the head from my hard pour refuses to leave (though it's been five minutes... yes, I admit it, I have not tasted this yet, I'm just sitting here getting off on the aroma). The lacing looks like the very edge of an omelet... and it won't leave the glass anytime soon, either.

Taste is -- this may sound strange, but I taste salt. Hops, hops, hops (what is the IBU on this thing?) and then sweetness, a high and creamy sweetness. And a long hoppy aftertaste... drawing the saliva out of your mouth. Final taste is, of course, the alcohol.

To be honest, the alcohol keeps me from going higher with my tastes score.

While Ruination's not really my cup of tea, I'm a HUGE Stone IPA fan, so this was a "must buy" for me.
Pours a copper color, which is darker than the somewhat pale normal IPA, or even Ruination.Head laces the glass and sticks around the whole way down.
Smell is floral hops, sweet fruit (peaches come to mind), and...more hops. It's not all hops like you might expect, but there are definitely plenty there.
Taste starts of sweet. Again, I'm reminded of peaches. Then the hops hit. These are floral and because of the fruity malt, they bring out kind of a tropical pineapple flavor. When you swallow - then the bitterness hits. It's strong! There's a little booze kick in there that makes it a definite sipper.
Mouthfeel's very thick, which also lends itself to this being more of a sipping drink.
Drinkability takes a slight hit just because of the sheer potency of the flavor. When I was done, I found myself craving something milder.
It's a wonderful beer, and a must try for any hop fans. Not my favorite Stone offering, but still great in it's own right.

22 oz bottle. Pours a clear, light reddish amber with a creamy off white head that retains fairly well and laces the glass some.

The aroma is resiny, piney, grapefruity, floral, peppery hops. More tropical fruits and some alcohol come out. As it warms, the alcohol gets to be a bit much. The original whiff was a 10, but the fusel alcohol and mustiness brings it down some.

The flavor is sweet and fruity caramel malts leading to a big peppery hop bitterness. There is a little alcohol bite in the finish, but it's masked fairly well. Some of the flavors are a bit harsh, and not well blended. This is a bit of a nitpick - maybe some aging would help smooth it out a bit. The mouthfeel is full and velvety.

Overall, a very good DIPA! I liked this much better than the Ruination. The first few sips were excellent (right up there with Hercules), but as I drank more, it started getting a bit harsh and alcoholic. On the plus side - one of the coolest bottles ever.

Bomber into a Duvel tulip, just in time for the first NFL kickoff of the season.

Appearance: A copper / amber / slightly orange hue to the body of the brew, with a head that dissipates fairly quickly (I poured it too cold which was a stupid idea). With some filling up the glass, however, some nice wet chunks of lacing stick around nicely.

Smell: Hot damn, happy 10th. A floral array of hop resin in both pine and grapefruit, and tons of malt fruitiness, peach, more citrus, some earthiness. But the peach comes in amazingly well, drippingly so almost, which is amazing when it's against the floral and bitter hop assault in the nose.

Taste: Lots of hops at first, floral, pine, and citrus: the triad of bitterness. The malty and fruity flavors come through after the hops pass (though really they never do), with, once again, peach dominating, which I absolutely love. Zest or rind fruit flavors come through, tropical fruit, orange peel, lemon peel, maybe some star fruit in there too. Finish is a great mix of both, with the lingering bitterness always there, but slowly fading into the fruit flavors--all of it's there for a surprisingly long time. Not to mention the flavors are so powerful that the alcohol, at least to me, really isn't felt in the taste at all, a true testament to the brew.

Mouthfeel: Slightly medium to full-bodied (though more on the medium side from what I can tell), seemingly, at first, but by the time the swallow comes, the carbonation diffuses enough so it's not syrupy, though I'm not sure how.

Drinkability: We all know this is a DIPA and not just an IPA, but damn it's a good one, and there's really nothing more perfect for Stone's 10th. I bought 5 bottles, and I imagine in around a year or so (or maybe 6 months?) this will be even more complex, with the malts doing even more. Fabulous stuff at this stage, and certainly something to seek out.

This beer pours an amber color with a light lace head. A strong spicy smell with a clear IPA hops smell. This beer has a sweet hops spice taste with a heavy malt flavor. This is a very strong IPA made for IPA lovers. If youre light of heart I would not recommend it but if you love a well blended IPA with a nice strong hops spice Id recommend this one. The mouth feel is a bit heavy but the finish is fairly clean. In all this is a great 10th Anniversary IPA. Strong and flavorful, truly this is a testament to a hard working breweries first decade.

Received in trade today from a hometown brother BA. Thanks Nate. It's my 15th Anniversary today and I'm happy to share it with Stone's 10th.

A- Beautiful copper color in my Duvel tulip. What little head there was doesn't last long. At 10% ABV, I'm not surprised.

S- WOW! The pine jumped out of the bottle and slapped me. My 13 year old son claimed the cap before I opened it. Upon tossing it to him, he said: "Wow Dad, it smells alot like pine" 'nuff said.

T- Far and away the best (and most anticipated) part of this beer. A full bore hops assault, followed by a melange of spices, then a blast of alcohol. I say a blast, but the transition is so smooth, you hardly notice it. This is everything I look for in a DIPA, and then some.

M- Superb. Spreads across the tongue and then dances around every nook and cranny.

D- I may be the exception, but one reason I drink DIPA's like this one is for their strength. I'm a fairly big guy, so I could handle a couple. Beyond that, I'd have to go to water, with a fond memory of just how great this beer is.

All in all, I have a new favorite. This is my first "5". To me, this beer blends the characteristic's of my three personal top DIPA/IIPA's: Unearthly, Dreadnaught and Maharaja into one tasty package. I copped a case in trade....now I need to find a few more.

Pours a light copper color, with a creamy one finger head that quickly falls. No lacing left behind, and only a small blanket over top of the glass.

Intensily aromatic does not even begin to describe this. Chock full of piney hops, with floral notes, as well as peach and apricot aromas. Slight amount of alcohol is present. If it wouldn't make me smell like an alcoholic, I'd happily wear this as a cologne.

The flavor here is incredibly well balanced, smooth, and huge at the same time. Somewhat grainy and sweet up front, but followed by a massive wave of floral and piney hops. Finish is solidly bitter, and leaves a thin coat of hop resin on your tongue and teeth, begging for another sip. Incredible. Mouthfeel creamy, but oddly, its a little thin considering the ABV. Drinkability is pretty good considering the alcohol.

Stone has always produced some of my favorite beers, and this one definitely does not disappoint. This is quite possibly one of my favorite new DIPA's, and ranks up there with the best. If it weren't for the 10% ABV, I could drink this all day. Now I really wish that it was a regular release. Maybe we'll get lucky, and stone will keep brewing this all year (like they did with Ruination after the 4th and 5th anniversarys). Maybe I'll go back and buy the rest of this that is on the shelf. Either way, I really hope that tonight is not the last time I drink this.... it is phenomenal.

Thank you Stone, for bringing a beer of this quality to the table. Regardless of how often I drink your beers, I'm amazed every time.

It pours a crystal clear orangey amber, andf fairly carbonated. Two fingers of tannish off-white head sustain some time. Sheets of lacing crinkle the inside of the glass.

In the aroma, the hops ring out with pine sap and crisp citrus. Berry sweet toasted malt presses through, giving up caramel and baked bread. The alcohol is sinewy and vinous in nature.

Upon tasting, the densely sweet malt is rich with caramel, dark berry, and juicy melon. Right behind comes spicy pine and an arid grapefruit hop influence. Alcohol white-waters through the middle, laying like a hot schism on the tongue and sinuses. A dab of yeast and more earthy grain crop up near the close, and the finish is a lingering experience of glowing hop bitterness. Despite the searing alcohol presence, it's big, gutsy, and chock full of good flavor.

A bit north of medium bodied, the thick malt and resinous hops coat well, and join the alcohol to render up a sweet magma.

Ten years is a long time in the craft brew world and this beer is worthy of celebrating the occasion. It's big, bold, brassy, and pretty damned grand. The ABV is grand as well, and hot and raw, but it's just a sign of some immaturity. Still, it is drinkable right now, at least for the brave among us. With some patience I just might get to find out how well it matures into year eleven. I do believe it will be worth waiting for.

Much thanks to egajdzis for opening up the latest Stone creation. Those of us who know Eric, know that he's one of the biggest Stone fans out there and always grabs the latest offerings. Split the bomber, while I continued to be cleaned out playing roulette...
Appears an opaque amber with a foamy, bubly off white head that slowly fades out. Scattered lacing is left all around the glass.
Smell is of huge biscuits, caramel, grassy, herbal notes, rich, piney hops with citrus. There is a little bit of Ruination being evoked in this beer with it's intense aromas.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas with sweet and bitter notes all over the place. Sweet, woody, bready, sourdough-esque.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, bready, sweet, sugary, and bitter.

Medium dark copper/amber. Aroma is very hoppy, smells of citrus, guava, very tropical, then carmel malt. Aroma seems to change as time goes by. Tastes like a double IPA, but more complex, nice fruit-like flavors, then a little bitter, a little sweet, really good. Overall, a great beer, a little heavy almost on the syrupy side, but enjoyable. Watch out for the relatively high alcohol content, because the flavors hide it really well. This is the first Stone beer I have really really liked.

Split a 22 oz. bomber with two good friends. No freshness date on the bottle. Poured a welcoming honey/caramel color, lightly cloudy and with a small, light brown head. Smell dominated by really strong hops and grapefruit. Hints of pine, too, but the grapefruit really comes through. Taste is hoppyx3. The grapefruit shows up as well - sort of a bitter citrusy flavor. The hops are wonderful, although they don't travel as well as some IPAs, and they linger for a while. The mouthfeel is very creamy for an IPA, which I really like. Overall a great sipping beer, but the heavy hops slow you down.